


Your Battle Tales

by outerealm



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Berserkers, Gen, Norse Mythology - Freeform, googled research
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-20
Updated: 2012-05-20
Packaged: 2017-11-05 17:17:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/408990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerealm/pseuds/outerealm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Avengers Kink Meme:<br/>Norse warriors who went into uncontrollable rages during battle were called berserkers. The wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker</p><p>I'd love to see Thor and Bruce having a conversation about berserkers, since the parallels between them and the Hulk are obvious. Can be shippy or gen, I don't care either way!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Battle Tales

“Friend! My berserkr friend!” Thor’s voice, without a doubt, carried. It filled the large room in a single instant, cutting through everyone’s voices, instantly and immediately commanding attention.

Bruce Banner, on the exact opposite of the room, struggling to concentrate on his tablet while simultaneously trying to eat looked up with a startled blink. “Who-what now?”

The alien thunderer beamed as he spotted Bruce- it was obvious. Anyone who was being hit full force by that smile felt a little bit of themselves sunning and basking in that light no matter what their preference. More then one agent had to be sent home after breaking down over their sexuality.

Right now Bruce smiled helplessly back even as something within him screamed to run, but his back was already to the wall. No escape there. Thor cut across the scattered, milling agents ignoring the confused looks sent to him like it was nothing. 

“Wait, what did you just call me?” The happy part was slowly dying, replaced by desperate, wailing confusion.

“A berserkr. You are one, are you not?” Thor looked like one of those cute little puppy’s you saw in the abandoned boxes by highways and looked at you so pleadingly you had to take them home.

“I- I suppose it depends on what this ‘ber-ser-k-er’ is.” It sounded familiar, tickling the back of his mind, of a book he had read once long, long ago. 

Thor frowned thoughtfully, settling into the seat across from him. The cape swished into place behind him, somehow looking magnificent. “I doth not know how to explain… they are men in my father Odin’s army- brave, courageous warriors that before battle would go through a ritual. They fight like a hundred men, impossible to stop.”

Bruce was aware he was slowly growing stiff, that a hundred curious Shield agents were staring at them. “Impossible huh?”

“Indeed, they are fierce fighters!” Thor thrust a fist into the air, proud of them in his own way, “They are bound not by rules, but instead rule the battlefield, tearing apart any who stumbles into their pathway!”

Oh. Oh. 

Thor looked solemn for a moment, dropping into his native tongue, the ancient words rolling through the room like it did in his father’s hold, where fires burned eternally, and winds howled outside. 

_At berserkja reiðu vilk spyrja,_  
 _bergir hræsævar,_  
 _hversu es fengit_  
 _þeims í folk vaða_  
 _vígdjǫrfum verum?_

_Ulfheðnar heita,  
þeirs í orrostum  
blóðgar randir bera;  
vigrar rjóða,  
es til vígs koma;  
þeim's þar sýst saman;  
áræðismǫnnum einum  
hykk þar undir felisk  
skyli sá enn skilvísi,  
þeim's í skjǫld hǫggva._

Bruce leaned forward, eyes on the man as he paused. “What is the translation Thor?”

Thor frowned, thinking about it. “The Alltongue translates well, but, a rough translation, or as close as one as your tongue can handle would be:  
 _I'll ask of the berserks, you tasters of blood,_  
 _Those intrepid heroes, how are they treated,_  
 _Those who wade out into battle?_  
 _Wolf-skinned they are called. In battle_  
 _They bear bloody shields._  
 _Red with blood are their spears when they come to fight._  
 _They form a closed group._  
 _The prince in his wisdom puts trust in such men._  
 _Who hack through enemy shields._ ”

Bruce could _hear_ those line breaks, deep and rolling. “You have those? In Asgard?”

Thor shook himself out of his darkened state, beaming once more. A girl somewhere fainted. “Yes, indeed! They are numbered among the best in my fathers army, though you would not wish to cross them in battle. They do not understand the idea of allies when locked in rage, much like your own state.”

Thor paused to look at him, “Though you do not seem to be celebrating. Do not your companions honor your valor with drinks? With tales of you in battle? From the sounds of it, you are very much like the berserkr in that you cannot remember much of the battle after.”

“Wait a minute Thor, you’re saying that you have these people on your army?”

“Indeed, they wear wolf skins and go to battle with only spears, no armor in which to protect themselves.” Thor bashed a fist against his own chest-plate, the hollow boom echoing in the room. 

Bruce stared at him in fascination. “And they aren’t avoided?”

“Of course not!” Thor looked wounded, “They fought gloriously on the battlefield, and all know to avoid a berserkr when fully enraged.”

Bruce stared at Thor for a long moment- a world where not only the other guy would be enjoyed, but Bruce wouldn’t be avoided. “That’s why I came with the intent to join in the festivities, though there seem to be none.”

“No Thor… they don’t honor a berserkr here.”

Thor looked astonished, a confused little puppy look coming into his eyes. “Whyever not? Hath not you proved to be a formidable warrior in the protection of your land?”

“People prefer somebody who’s actually in control of their actions.” Bruce replied carefully, eyes falling back onto the mostly forgotten tablet. “Who won’t attack them if they get too close.”

“That is why you do not approach a berserkr in battle. I myself was reminded why when the green one punched me.” Thor nodded to himself. “It has been too long since I have battled with berserkr’s.”

“I- I punched you?”

“Indeed you did!” Thor slammed the palm of his hand on the table, the hollow booming noise and subsequent crack of a table unable to take the abuse, “I have not been reminded of the rules of battle for a long time. At the very least it was a punch- many others would not have been so kind and tried to rip my head off.”

It was almost _nice_ to hear about people who were more insane then him, even if they probably weren’t as strong. Bruce nudged a little closer, asking curiously, “Do Berserkr’s attack their own kind?”

Thor shook his head. “Of course they do, that is in their very nature! They are the ones that charge across open flame and eat their shields- do not expect them to work together.” 

Bruce nodded, attempting to readjust his mind to the idea. Not only had the other guy punched Thor, but Thor seemed perfectly fine with the idea. He seemed perfectly fine with the idea that Hulk wouldn’t listen to them, and that Bruce Banner was a man to be told and regaled with stories. “Come! If none here will honor your bravery, then we must go to where you will be!”

Thor bodily lifted him out of the seat, and Bruce only had enough time to grab his tablet, before Thor towed him towards the door, announcing, “We should find the Man of Iron and the Man of Stars. They seem like ones who will tell good stories!”

Tugged impatiently out, the only thing Bruce could say was, “Thank you Thor.”

“For what?” The head tilted towards him in confusion, and Bruce swallowed- the information that he wasn’t the only one out there, that there was somewhere out there where they could easily accept him eased him in a way he could never explain out loud.

So he simply said, “For everything.”

Thor shot him another confused look, before shrugging massive shoulders, “Come! You may expound on the subject while we tell stories over a flagon of mead!”

As Bruce was dragged out of the room, he felt _it_ \- the other guy, rumbling in some emotion… happiness. Hulk was rumbling in happiness despite the layer of rage that lingered in the back of his head, and Bruce found himself smiling as well. “Thor- you think you could introduce me to these berserkrs?”

It might bring him just a step closer to understanding himself. 

Thor looked briefly surprised, before clapping him on the back. “It would be my honor!”

Bruce nodded, fingers curling around his tablet. _I’m not the only one. Even if it’s alien gods, I’m not the only kind out there._ A warm burst of happiness at that thought was carefully stored within, somewhere guarded and secret.

It ended up showing on his face- those emotions generally did.

-end-


End file.
